Ginger

Ginger

Zingiber officinale

syn:Amomum zingiber

Fam:Zingiberaceae

Ginger is native to India and China. It takes its name from the Sanskrit wordstringa-vera, which means “with a body like a horn”, as in antlers.

Ginger has been important in Chinese medicine for many centuries, and is mentioned in the writings of Confucius. It is also named in the Koran, the sacred book of the Moslems, indicating it was known in Arab countries as far back as 650 A.D. It was one of the earliest spice known in Western Europe, used since the ninth century. It became so popular in Europe that it was included in every table setting, like salt and pepper.

A common article of medieval and Renaissance trade, it was one of the spices used against the plague. In English pubs and taverns in the nineteenth century, barkeepers put out small containers of ground ginger, for people to sprinkle into their beer — the origin of ginger ale. In order to ’gee up’ a lazy horse, it is the time honoured practice of Sussex farmers to apply a pinch of ginger to the animal’s backside..

Spice Description

Although often called “ginger root” it is actually a rhizome. It is available in various forms, the most common of which are as follows:

Whole raw roots are generally referred to as fresh ginger. A piece of the rhizome, called a ‘hand’. It has a pale yellow interior and a skin varying in colour from brown to off-white. Jamaican ginger, which is pale buff, is regarded as the best variety. African and Indian ginger is darker skinned and generally inferior, with the exception of Kenya ginger. Buy fresh ginger

Whole fresh roots provide the freshest taste. The roots are collected and shipped when they are still immature, the outer skin is a light green colour. These can sometimes be found in Oriental markets.

Dried roots are sold either ‘black’ with the root skin left on, or ‘white’ with the skin peeled off. The dried root is available whole or sliced.

Powdered ginger is the buff-coloured ground spice made from dried root. Buy powdered (ground) ginger

Preserved or ‘stem’ ginger is made from fresh young roots, peeled and sliced, then cooked in a heavy sugar syrup. The ginger pieces and syrup are canned together. They are soft and pulpy, but extremely hot and spicy.Buy stem ginger

Crystallized ginger is also cooked in sugar syrup, then air dried and rolled in sugar. Buy crystallized ginger

Pickled ginger has the root sliced paper-thin and pickled in a vinegar solution. This pickle is known in Japan as gari , which often accompanies sushi, and is served to refresh the palate between courses. Buy pickled ginger

Bouquet: warm, sweet and pungent.

Flavour: Fiery and pungent

Heat Scale: 7

Preparation and Storage

In Asian cooking ginger is almost always used fresh, either minced, crushed or sliced. Fresh ginger can be kept for several weeks in the salad drawer of the refrigerator. Dried ginger should be ‘bruised’ by beating it to open the fibers, then infused in the cooking or making ginger beer and removed when the flavour is sufficient. Store dried and powdered ginger in airtight containers.

Culinary Uses

Fresh ginger is essential to Asian and oriental cookery. It is used in pickles, chutneys and curry pastes and the ground dried root is a constituent of many curry powders. Tender young ginger can be sliced and eaten as a salad. Sometimes the roots will produce green sprouts which can be finely chopped and added to a green salad. In the West, dried ginger is mainly used in cakes and biscuits, especially ginger snaps and gingerbread. Ginger is also used in puddings, jams, preserves and in some drinks like ginger beer, ginger wine and tea. Pickled ginger is a delicious accompaniment to satays and a colourful garnish to many Chinese dishes. Preserved ginger is eaten as a confection, chopped up for cakes and puddings, and is sometimes used as an ice cream ingredient. For more on cooking with ginger see *Ginger - Fresh Flavour that's Packing Heat*.

Attributed Medicinal Properties

Ginger has long been ascribed aphrodisiac powers, taken either internally or externally. It is mentioned in theKarma Sutra, and in the Melanesian Islands of the South Pacific it is employed ‘to gain the affection of a woman’. Conversely, in the Philippines it is chewed to expel evil spirits. Ginger is a known diaphoretic, meaning it causes one to sweat. It was recorded that Henry VIII instructed the mayor of London to use ginger’s diaphoretic qualities as a plague medicine.

Ginger is most commonly known for its effectiveness as a digestive aid. By increasing the production of digestive fluids and saliva, Ginger helps relieve indigestion, gas pains, diarrhea and stomach cramping. The primary known constituents of Ginger Root include gingerols, zingibain, bisabolenel, oleoresins, starch, essential oil (zingiberene, zingiberole, camphene, cineol, borneol), mucilage, and protein. Ginger root is also used to treat nausea related to both motion sickness and morning sickness. Ginger has been found to be even more effective than Dramamine® in curbing motion sickness, without causing drowsiness. Ginger's anti-inflammatory properties help relieve pain and reduce inflammation associated with arthritis, rheumatism and muscle spasms. Ginger's therapeutic properties effectively stimulate circulation of the blood, removing toxins from the body, cleansing the bowels and kidneys, and nourishing the skin. Other uses for Ginger Root include the treatment of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems by loosening and expelling phlegm from the lungs. Ginger Root may also be used to help break fevers by warming the body and increasing perspiration.

Buy ginger supplements here.

Plant Description and Cultivation

A perennial creeping plant, with thick tuberous rhizome, producing a an erect stem 30 - 100 cm (1-3 ft) tall. The lance-shaped leaves are bright green, 15 - 20 cm (6-8 in) long, with a prominent longitudinal rib, enclosing conical clusters of small yellow-green flowers marked with purple speckles. It is propagated from rhizome cuttings, planted on rich, well drained loam. It requires a tropical climate with both a heavy rain season and a hot dry season. Plants shoot in ten days and are harvested after nine to ten months. For detailed instructions on growing it in pots see ***Growing your own ginger***.

Other names

East Indian Pepper, Jamaica Ginger, Jamaica Pepper

French:gingembre

German:Ingwer

Italian:zenzero

Spanish:jengibre

Burmese:cheung, chiang, jeung

Indian:adruk (green), ard(r)ak(h) (green), sont(h) (dried)

Indonesian:aliah

Japanese:mioga, myoga, shoga

Thai:k(h)ing (green)

More Info

Also see *Ginger - fresh flavour with heat*and*Growing your own ginger.*

Bibliographic References and Further Reading 

Illustrations by Barbara McGee,exclusively for the Epicentre. © 2003. All rights reserved.....

Gingers" redirects here. For the Australian punk rock group, see The Gingers.

Ginger	Ginger
Color plate from Köhler's Medicinal Plants	Color plate from Köhler's Medicinal Plants
Scientific classification	Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
clade:	Angiosperms
clade:	Monocots
clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Zingiberaceae
Genus:	Zingiber
Species:	Z. officinale
Binomial name	Binomial name
Zingiber officinale Roscoe 1807[1]	Zingiber officinale Roscoe 1807[1]

Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as adelicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family (Zingiberaceae). Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric,cardamom, and galangal.

Ginger cultivation began in South Asia and has since spread to East Africa and the Caribbean.^[2] It is sometimes called ginger root to distinguish it from other things that share the name ginger.

Etymology

The English name ginger comes from French: gingembre, Old English:gingifere, Medieval Latin: ginginer, Greek: zingiberis (ζιγγίβερις). Ultimately the origin is from Tamil: inji ver (இஞ்சி வேர்). The botanical term for root in Tamil isver (வேர்), hence inji root or inji ver.^[3]

Horticulture

Ginger produces clusters of white and pink flower buds that bloom into yellow flowers. Because of its aesthetic appeal and the adaptation of the plant to warm climates, ginger is often used aslandscaping around subtropical homes. It is a perennial reed-like plant with annual leafy stems, about a meter (3 to 4 feet) tall.

Traditionally, the root is gathered when the stalk withers; it is immediately scalded, or washed and scraped, to kill it and prevent sprouting.

Culinary use

Gari (ginger)

Ginger produces a hot, fragrant kitchen spice.^[4]

Young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a very mild taste. They are often pickled in vinegar or sherry as a snack or just cooked as an ingredient in many dishes. They can also be steeped in boiling water to make ginger tea, to which honey is often added; sliced orange or lemon fruit may also be added. Ginger can also be made into candy.

Mature ginger roots are fibrous and nearly dry. The juice from old ginger roots is extremely potent ^[5] and is often used as a spice in Indian recipes, and is a quintessential ingredient of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and many South Asian cuisines for flavoring dishes such as seafood or goat meat and vegetarian cuisine.

Ginger acts as a useful food preservative.^[6]

Fresh ginger can be substituted for ground ginger at a ratio of 6 to 1, although the flavors of fresh and dried ginger are somewhat different. Powdered dry ginger root is typically used as a flavoring for recipes such as gingerbread, cookies,crackers and cakes, ginger ale, and ginger beer.

Candied ginger is the root cooked in sugar until soft, and is a type of confectionery.

Fresh ginger may be peeled before eating. For longer-term storage, the ginger can be placed in a plastic bag and refrigerated or frozen.

Regional use

Look up ginger in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

In Western cuisine, ginger is traditionally used mainly in sweet foods such asginger ale, gingerbread, ginger snaps, parkin, ginger biscuits and speculaas. A ginger-flavored liqueur called Canton is produced in Jarnac, France. Greenginger wine is a ginger-flavored wine produced in the United Kingdom, traditionally sold in a green glass bottle. Ginger is also used as a spice added to hot coffee and tea.

Ginger field

Fresh ginger rhizome.

India and Pakistan, ginger is called adrak in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu, aad inMaithili, aadi in Bhojpuri, aada in Bengali, Adu in Gujarati, hashi shunti (ಹಸಿ ಶುಂಟಿ) in the Kannada, allam (అల్లం) in Telugu, inji (இஞ்சி) in Tamil andMalayalam, inguru (ඉඟුරු) in Sinhalese, alay in Marathi, and aduwa(अदुवा ) inNepali. Fresh ginger is one of the main spices used for making pulse and lentilcurries and other vegetable preparations. Fresh, as well as dried, ginger is used to spice tea and coffee, especially in winter. Ginger powder is also used in certain food preparations, particularly for pregnant or nursing women, the most popular one being katlu which is a mixture of gum resin, ghee, nuts, and sugar. Ginger is also consumed in candied and pickled form. In Bangladesh, ginger is finely chopped or ground into a paste to use as a base for chicken and meat dishes alongside shallot and garlic.

In Burma, ginger is called gyin. It is widely used in cooking and as a main ingredient in traditional medicines. It is also consumed as a salad dish calledgyin-thot, which consists of shredded ginger preserved in oil, and a variety of nuts and seeds. In Indonesia, a beverage called wedang jahe is made from ginger and palm sugar. Indonesians also use ground ginger root, called jahe, as a common ingredient in local recipes. In Malaysia, ginger is called halia and used in many kinds of dishes, especially a soup. In the Philippines it is brewed into a tea called salabat. In Vietnam, the fresh leaves, finely chopped, can also be added to shrimp-and-yam soup (canh khoai mỡ) as a top garnish and spice to add a much subtler flavor of ginger than the chopped root.

Two varieties of ginger as sold in Haikou, Hainan, China

In China, sliced or whole ginger root is often paired with savory dishes such as fish, and chopped ginger root is commonly paired with meat, when it is cooked. However, candied ginger is sometimes a component of Chinese candy boxes, and a herbal tea can also be prepared from ginger.

In Japan, ginger is pickled to make beni shoga and gari or grated and used raw on tofu or noodles. It is also made into a candy called shoga no satozuke. In the traditional Korean kimchi, ginger is finely minced and added to the ingredients of the spicy paste just before the fermenting process.

In the Caribbean, ginger is a popular spice for cooking, and making drinks such as sorrel, a seasonal drink made during the Christmas season. Jamaicansmake ginger beer both as a carbonated beverage and also fresh in their homes. Ginger tea is often made from fresh ginger, as well as the famous regional specialty Jamaican ginger cake.

On the island of Corfu, Greece, a traditional drink called τσιτσιμπύρα (tsitsibira), a type of ginger beer, is made. The people of Corfu and the rest of the Ionian islands adopted the drink from the British, during the period of the United States of the Ionian Islands.

In Arabic, ginger is called zanjabil, and in some parts of the Middle East, ginger powder is used as a spice for coffee and for milk, as well. In Somaliland, ginger is called sinjibil, and is served in coffee shops in Egypt. In the Ivory Coast, ginger is ground and mixed with orange, pineapple and lemon to produce a juice called nyamanku. Ginger powder is used in hawaij, a spice mixture used mostly by Yemenite Jews for soups and coffee.

Similar ingredients

Myoga (Zingiber mioga Roscoe) appears in Japanese cuisine; the flower buds are the part eaten.

Another plant in the Zingiberaceae family, galangal, is used for similar purposes as ginger in Thai cuisine. Galangal is also called Thai ginger. Also referred to as galangal, fingerroot (Boesenbergia rotunda), or Chinese ginger or the Thai krachai, is used in cooking and medicine.

A dicotyledonous native species of eastern North America, Asarum canadense, is also known as "wild ginger", and its root has similar aromatic properties, but it is not related to true ginger. The plant also contains aristolochic acid, a carcinogeniccompound.^{[citation needed]}

Production

Top ten ginger producers — 11 June 2008	Top ten ginger producers — 11 June 2008
Country	Production (tonnes)
India	380,100
China	331,393
Indonesia	192,500
Nepal	174,268
Thailand	170,125
Nigeria	152,106
Bangladesh	72,608
Japan	52,000
Philippines	27,415
Cameroon	12,000
World	1,615,974
Source: Food And Agricultural Organization of United Nations: Economic And Social Department: The Statistical Division	Source: Food And Agricultural Organization of United Nations: Economic And Social Department: The Statistical Division

From 1585, Jamaican ginger was the first oriental spice to be grown in the New World and imported back to Europe.^[32] India, with over 30% of the global share, now leads in global production of ginger, replacing China, which has slipped to the second position (_20.5%), followed by Indonesia (_{12.7%), Nepal} (_11.5%) andThailand (_10%).

Ginger output in 2005

See also

• Bu Zhong Yi Qi Wan - contains ginger material
• Kaempferia galanga
• Xiao Yao Wan - contains ginger material
• Figging

References

1. ^ "Zingiber officinale information from NPGS/GRIN". www.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
2. ^ "Spices: Exotic Flavors & Medicines: Ginger". Retrieved 2007-08-08.
3. ^ "ginger". Online Etymology Dictionary,http://www.etymonline.com/. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
4. ^ Ginger n Oxford Dictionary of English
5. ^ http://allthingsginger.co.uk/ginger.htm
6. ^ Glorious Ginger: Root out Ailments with this Ancient Spice published by thefoodpaper.com
7. ^ Identification of serotonin 5-HT1A receptor partial agonists in ginger. Nievergelt A. Huonker P. Schoop R. Altmann KH. Gertsch J. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry. 18(9):3345-51, 2010 May 1
8. ^ ^a(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger#cite_ref-medind_7-0) ^b(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger#cite_ref-medind_7-1) http://medind.nic.in/ibi/t03/i1/ibit03i1p32.pdf
9. ^ Ernst, E.; & Pittler, M.H. (1 March 2000). "Efficacy of ginger for nausea and vomiting: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials" (PDF). British Journal of Anesthesia 84 (3): 367–371. PMID 10793599. Retrieved 2006-09-06.
10. ^ Wood, C.; Pittler, MH (2000). "Comparison of efficacy of ginger with various antimotion sickness drugs". British journal of anaesthesia 84 (3): 367–71.PMID 10793599.
11. ^ Grøntved, A.; Pittler, MH (2000). "Ginger root against seasickness. A controlled trial on the open sea". British journal of anaesthesia 84 (3): 367–71.PMID 10793599.
12. ^ ^a(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger#cite_ref-GloriousGinger_11-0) ^b(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger#cite_ref-GloriousGinger_11-1) Glorious Ginger: Root Out Ailments with This Ancient Spice published by thefoodpaper.com
13. ^ Chen, Jaw-Chyun; Li-Jiau Huang, Shih-Lu Wu, Sheng-Chu Kuo, Tin-Yun Ho, Chien-Yun Hsiang (2007). "Ginger and Its Bioactive Component Inhibit Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Heat-Labile Enterotoxin-Induced Diarrhoea in Mice". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55 (21): 8390–8397. doi:10.1021/jf071460f.PMID 17880155.
14. ^ ^a(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger#cite_ref-UMMC_13-0) ^b(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger#cite_ref-UMMC_13-1) ^c(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger#cite_ref-UMMC_13-2) University of Maryland Medical Centre (2006)."Ginger". Retrieved 2007-08-02.
15. ^ Antiglycating potential of Zingiber officinalis and delay of diabetic cataract in rats. Saraswat M. Suryanarayana P. Reddy PY. Patil MA. Balakrishna N. Reddy GB. Molecular Vision. 16:1525-37, 2010.
16. ^ Al-Amin, Zainab M. et al.; Thomson, M; Al-Qattan, KK; Peltonen-Shalaby, R; Ali, M (2006). "Anti-diabetic and hypolipidaemic properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats". British Journal of Nutrition (Cambridge University Press) 96 (4): 660–666. doi:10.1079/BJN20061849. PMID 17010224. Retrieved 5 November 2007.
17. ^ Afshari, Ali Taghizadeh et al.; Shirpoor, A; Farshid, A; Saadatian, R; Rasmi, Y; Saboory, E; Ilkhanizadeh, B; Allameh, A (2007). "The effect of ginger on diabetic nephropathy, plasma antioxidant capacity and lipid peroxidation in rats". Food Chemistry (Elsevier) 101 (1): 148–153. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2006.01.013.
18. ^ O'Hara, Mary; Kiefer, David; Farrell, Kim; Kemper, Kathi (1998). "A Review of 12 Commonly Used Medicinal Herbs". Archives of Family Medicine 7 (7): 523–536.doi:10.1001/archfami.7.6.523. PMID 9821826.
19. ^ Rhode, J.; Fogoros, S.; Zick, S.; Wahl, H.; Griffith, K. A.; Huang, J.; Liu, J. R. (2007). "Ginger inhibits cell growth and modulates angiogenic factors in ovarian cancer cells". BMC Complementary & Alternative Medicine 7: 44. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-7-44. PMC 2241638.PMID 18096028.
20. ^ Kim, J. S.; et al., Sa Im; Park, Hye Won; Yang, Jae Heon; Shin, Tae-Yong; Kim, Youn-Chul; Baek, Nam-In; Kim, Sung-Hoon et al. (2008). "Cytotoxic components from the dried rhizomes of Zingiber officinale Roscoe". Archives of Pharmacal Research 31 (4): 415–418.doi:10.1007/s12272-001-1172-y. PMID 18449496.
21. ^ Choudhury, D.; et al., Amlan; Bhattacharya, Abhijit; Chakrabarti, Gopal (2010). "Aqueous extract of ginger shows antiproliferative activity through disruption of microtubule network of cancer cells". Food Chem Toxicol.48 (10): 2872–2880. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2010.07.020.
22. ^ Oyagbemi, A. A.; Saba, A. B.; Azeez, O. I. (2010). "Molecular targets of [6]-gingerol: Its potential roles in cancer chemoprevention". Biofactors 36 (3): 169–178.doi:10.1002/biof.78. PMID 20232343.
23. ^ McGee, Harold (2004). On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (2nd ed.). New York: Scribner. pp. 425–426. ISBN 0684800012.
24. ^ ^a(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger#cite_ref-achi_23-0) ^b(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger#cite_ref-achi_23-1) Al-Achi, Antoine. "A Current Look at Ginger Use". Retrieved 2007-08-02.^{[dead link]}
25. ^ Jakes, Susan (2007-01-15). "Beverage of Champions". Times on-line. Archived from the original on July 1, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
26. ^ Hardon, Anita (2001). *Applied health research manual: anthropology of health and health care*. Het Spinhuis.ISBN 90-5589-191-6.
27. ^ Taguba, Yvonne B. (1984). *Common medicinal plants of the Cordillera region (Northern Luzon, Philippines)*. Community Health Education, Services and Training in the Cordillera Region (CHESTCORE).
28. ^ http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
29. ^ MDidea Extracts Professional (2010). "Dosage and Administration of Ginger". Retrieved 2010-10-03.
30. ^ ^a(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger#cite_ref-Mayo_29-0) ^b(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger#cite_ref-Mayo_29-1) ^c(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger#cite_ref-Mayo_29-2) Mayo Clinic (2006-05-01). "Drugs & Supplements: Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe)". Retrieved 2007-08-02.
31. ^ http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1627491&lang=eng_news&cate_rss=TAIWAN_eng
32. ^ "ginger" A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Ed. David A. Bender. Oxford University Press 2009

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 edition of The Grocer's Encyclopedia.